Commentary on the Holy Bible

Lord revengeth; the revengeth, and the LiORD will take vengeance r. Roman., on his adversaries, and he "'■ """"'" ^- used by the prophets to signify the revelation which they have received from God to deliver to any particular people: the oracle — the prophecy. Here it signifies the declaration from God relative to the over

not at all acquit the wicked; ^ the Lord hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and tlio clouds are the dust of his feet

4 ' He rebuketli the sea, and maketh it dry, and drietli up all the rivers: ^ Bashan languisheth, and Carniel, and tlic flower of Lebanon languishelh.

5 ' The mountains quake at him, and " the hills melt, and "the earth is burned at his

6 Who can stand before his "R.Roman!! "' indignation? and "who can "'■ '"^"°'- ^- P abide in the fierceness of his anger? « his fury is poured out like fire, and the rocks are thrown down by him.

7 ' The Lord is good, a ' strong hold in the day of trouble; and ' he knoweth them that trust in him.

8 " But with an overrunning flood he will make an utter end of the place thereof, and darkness shall pursue his enemies.

9 " Wliat do ye imagine against the Lord?

throw of Nineveh, and the commission of the prophet to deliver it.

As the Assyrians under Pul, Tiglath-pilescr, and Shahnaneser, three of their kings, had been employed by a just God for the chastisement of his disobedient people; the end being now accomplished by them, God is about to burn the rod wherewith he corrected Israel; and Nineveh, the capital of the Assyrian empire, is to be destroyed. This prediction appears to have been accomplished a short time after this by Nebuchadnezzar and Cyaxares, the Ahasuerus of Scripture.

Nahum, DinJ Nachuin, signifies comforter. The name was very suitable, as he was sent to comfort the people, by showing tlicm that God was about to destroy their adversaries.

And — revengeth] His justice; by the destruction of his enemies.

And IS furious^ So powerfid in the manifestations of his judgments, that nothing can stand before him.

He rescrceth wrath] Though they seem to prosper for a time, and God appears to have passed by their crimes without notice, yet he reserccth — treasureth up — wrath for them, which shall burst forth in due time.

Verse 3. The Lord is slow to anger] He exercises much longsuffering towards his enemies, that this may lead them to repentance. And it is because of this longsuffering that vengeance is not speedily executed on every evil work.

Great in power] Able at all times to save or to destroy.

The Lord hath his way m the lohirhvind and in the storm] These are the effects of his power; and when they appear unusual, they may be considered as the immediate effects of his power: and although he be in them to punish and destroy, he is in them to direct their course, to determine their operations, and to defend his followers from being injured by their violence. The pestilential wind which slew one hundred and eighty-five thousand of the Assyrians did not injure one Israehte. See 2 Kings xix. 35.

The clouds are the dust of his feet.] This is spoken in allusion to a chariot and horses going on with extreme rapidity: they are all enveloped in a cloud of dust. So Jehovah is represented as coming through the circuit of the heavens as rapidly as lightning; the clouds surrounding him as the dust does the chariot and horses.

Verse 4. He rehuketh the sea] The Red Sea, and the rivers: probably an allusion to the passage of the Red Sea and Jordan.

The description of the coming of Jehovah, from the third to the sixth verse, is dreadfully majestic. He is represented as controlling universal nature. The sea and the rivers are dried up; the mountains tremble, the hills melt, and the earth is burnt at his presence. Bashan, Carmel, and Lebanon are withered and languish: streams of fire are poured out, and the rocks are cast down to make him a passage. If, then, the seas, the rivers, the mountains, the hills, the rocks, and the earth itself, fail before Jehovah, or flee from his presence, how shall Nineveh and the Assyrian empire stand before him?

Verse 7. The Lord is good] In the midst of judgment he remembers mercy; and among the most dreadful denunciations of wrath he mingles promises of mercy. None that trust in him need be alarmed at these dreadful threatenings; they shall be discriminated in the day of wrath, for the Lord knoweth them that trust in him.

Verse 8. Btit ivith an overrunning flood] Bishop Newcome thinks this may refer to the manner in which Nineveh was taken. The Euphrates overflowed its banks, deluged a part of the city, and overturned twenty stadia of the wall; in consequence of which the desponding king burnt himself, and his palace, with his treasures. — Diodor. Sic., Edit. Wessel., p. 140, lib. ii., s. 27.

Darkness shall pursue] Calamity. All kinds of calamity shall pursue them till they are destroyed.

Verse 9. Affliction shall not nse up the second time.] There shall be no need to repeat the judgment; with one iloto God will make a full end of the business.

Jehovah proclahns delive?-ance

01. cir. XVI. 4. affliction shall not rise up the

R. Roman., second time. "'■ '""""' ^ 10 For while they be folden togetlicr '= as thorns, ^ and while they are drunken as drunkards, '^ they shall be devoured as stubble fully dry.

1 1 There is one come out of thee, " that imagineth evil against the Lord, *" a wicked counsellor.

1 2 Thus saith the Lord; " Though they be quiet, and likewise many, yet thus "^ shall they be " cut down, when he shall ^ pass through. Though I have afflicted thee, I wiU afflict thee

Belial. ' Or, If they would have been at peace, so should they have been many, and so should they have been shorn, and he should

Verse 10. While X)xey he folden together] However united their counsels may be, they shall be as drunken men — perplexed and unsteady in all their resolutions; and before God's judgments they shall be as dry thorns before a devouring fire.

A toicked counsellor.] Sennacherib and Rabshakeh.

Verse 13. Though they be — many] Sennacherib invaded Judea with an army of nearly two hundred thousand men.

This shall they be cut doum] The angel of the Lord (a suffocating wind) slew of them in one night one hundred and eighty-five thousand, 2 Kings yoke from oil thee, and will 01. cir. xvi.4. burst thy bonds in sunder. r" Eom'an!, '

14 And the Lord hath given _^ a commandment concerning thee, more of thy name be sown: out of the house of thy gods wil! I cut off the graven image and the molten image: '' I will make thy grave; for thou art vile.

15 Behold ' upon the mountains the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace! O Judah, '' keep thy solemn feasts, perform thy vows: for ' the ■" wicked shall no more pass through thee; " he is utterly cut off.

This refers to the tribute which the Jews were obliged to pay to the Assyrians, 2 Kings xvii. 14.

Verse 14. No more of thy name be sown] No more of you shall be carried away into captivity.

I will make thy grave; for thou art vile] I think this is an address to the Assyrians, and especially to Sennacherib. The text is no obscure intimation of the fact. The house of his gods is to be his grave: and we know that while he was worshipping in the house of his god Nisroch, his two sons, Adrammelech and Sharezer, smote him there that he died, 2 Kings

Verse 15. Behold upon the mountains] Borrowed probably from Isa. Iii. 7, but applied here to the messengers who brought the good tidings of the destruction of Nineveh. Judah might then keep her sole?nn feasts, for the wicked Assyrian should pass through the land no more; being entirely cut off, and the imperial city razed to its foundations.

Ntneveh is noio called upon to prepare for the approach of her enemies, the instruments ofJehovaKs vengeance, I; and the military array and muster, the very arms and dress, of the Medes and Babylonians in the reigns of Cyaxares and Nabopolassar; their rapid approach to the city; the process of the siege, and the inundation of the river; the capture of the place; the captivity, lamentation, and flight of the inhabitants; the sacking of this immense, wealthy, and exceedingly populous city; and the consequent desolation and terror, are all described in the pathetic, vivid, and sublime imagery of Hehreio poetry, 2-10. This description is succeeded by a very beautiful and expressive allegory, 11-12; lohich is immediately explained, and applied to the city of Nineveh, 13. It is thought by some commentators that the metropolitan city of the Assyrian empire is also intended by the tender and beautiful simile, in the seventh verse, of a great princess led captive, with her maids of honour attending her, bewailing her and their own condition, by beating their breasts, and by other expressions of sorrow.

The approach of the enemies CHAP. II.

R. Roman., keep the niunilion, watch the cir. annum. ^^y^ make thy loins strong, fortify thy power miglitily.

2 ^ For the Lord hath turned away * the excellency of Jacob, as the excellency of Israel: for f the emptiers have emptied them out, and marred their vine brandies.

3 The shield of his mighty men is made s red, the valiant men are *" in scarlet: the chariots shall be with ' flaming torches in the day of his preparation, and the fir trees shall be terribly shaken.

4 The chariots shall rage in the streets, they shall jostle one against another in the broad

jyride of Jacob as the pride of Israel. ' Psa. Ixxx. 12; Hos. x.

Keep the munition] Guard the fenced places. From this to the end of the fifth verse, the preparations made at Nineveh to repel their enemies are described. The description is exceedingly picturesque.

Watch the way] Bj' which the enemy is most likely to approach.

Make thy loins strong] Take courage.

Fortify thy poiver] Muster thy troops; call in all thy allies.

Verse 2. For the Lord hath turned aioay] Bishop Newcome reads, for the Lord restoreth, by a slight alteration in the text. I do not see that we gain much by this. The Lord has been opposed to Jacob, and the enemy has prevailed against him.

Emptied them out] Brought them from their own land into captivity. This was the einptying!

Verse 3. The shield of his mighty men is made red] These things may refer to the warlike preparations made by the Ninevites: they had red shields, and scarlet or purple clothing; their chariots were finely decorated, and proceeded with amazing rapidity.

The fir trees shall be terribly shaken. J This may refer to the darts, arrows, and javelins, flung with destructive power.

Verse 4. The chariots shall rage] Those of the besiegers and the besieged, meeting in the streets, producing universal confusion and carnage.

Verse 5. He shall recount his worthies] Muster up his most renowned warriors and heroes.

Shall make haste to the wall] Wliere they see the enemies making their most powerful attacks, in order to get possession of the city.

Verse 6. The gates of the rivers shall be opened] I have already referred to this, see the note on cliap. i. 8; but it will be necessary to be more particular.

thies: diey shall stumble in their walk; they shall make haste to the wall thereof, and the " defence shall be prepared.

6 The gates of the rivers shall be opened and the palace shall be " dissolved.

7 And ° Huzzab shall be p led away captive, she shall be brought up, and her maids shall lead her as with the voice of 1 doves, tabering upon their breasts.

8 But Nineveh is " of old like a pool of water: yet they shall flee away. Stand, stand, shall they cry; but none shall ' look back.

The account given by Diodonis Siculus, lib. ii., is very surprising. He begins thus: Hv 6' avru loyiov Ttapaiedofievov ck Triioyoi'uv, k. t. A. — " There was a prophecy received from their forefathers, that Nineveh should not be taken till the river first became an enemy to the city. It happened in the third year of the siege, ihat the Euphrates [query, Tigris] being swollen with continued rains, overflowed part of the city, and threw down twenty stadia of the wall. The Iving then imagining tliat the oracle was accomplished, and that the river was now manifestly become an enemy to the city, casting aside all hope of safety, and lest he should fall into the hands of the enemy, built a large funeral pyre in the palace, (ev roif idaatlewic) and having collected all his gold and silver and royal vestments, together with his concubines and eunuchs, placed himself with them in a little apartment built in the pyre; burnt them, himself, and the palace together. When the death of the king (Sardanapalu.f) was announced by certain deserters, the enemy entered in by the breach which the waters had made, and took the city."

Thus the prophecy of Nahum was literally fulfilled: " the gates of the river were opened, and the palace dissolved," i. e., burnt.

Verse 7. And Huzzab shall be led away captive] Perhaps Huzzab means the queen of Nineveh, who had escaped the burning mentioned above by Diodorus. As there is no account of the queen being burnt, but only of the king, the concubines, and the eunuchs, we may, therefore, naturally conclude that the queen escaped; and is represented here as brought up and delivered to the conqueror; her maids at the same time bewailing her lot. Some think Huzzab signifies Nineveh itself

'D'a mimey, from days. Bp. Newcome translates the line thus: " And the waters of Nineveh are a pool of waters." There maybe reference here to the fact

9 Take ye the spoil of silver, take the spoil of gold: * for there is none end of the store ^- and glory out of all the " pleasant furniture.

10 She is empty, and void, and waste: and the "heart melteth, and "'the knees smite together, "■ and much pain is in all loins, and y the faces of them all gather blackness.

1 1 Where is the dwelling of ^ the lions, and the feeding place of the young lions, where the lion, even the old lion, walked, and the

given in the preceding note, the overflowing of the river by which the city was primarily destroyed.

Stand, stand'\ Consternation shall be at its utmost height, the people shall flee in all directions; and though quarter is offered, and they are assured of safety if they remain, yet not one looketh hack.

Verse 9. Take ye the spoil] Though the king burnt his treasures, vestments, &c., he could not totally destroy the silver and the gold. Nor did he burn the riches of the city; these fell a prey to the conquerors; and there was no end of the store of glorious garments, and the most costly vessels and furniture.

Verse 10. She is empty, and void, and ivaste] The original is strongly emphatic: the words are of the same sound; and increase in their length as they point out great, greater, and greatest desolation.

The faces of them all gather blackness.] This marks the diseased state into which the people had been brought by reason of famine, &c.; for, as Mr. Ward justly remarks, " sickness makes a great change in the countenance of the Hindoos; so that a person who was rather fair when in health, becomes nearly black by sickness.'" This was a general case with the Asiatics.

12 1 lie lion did tear in pieces r. Roman., enough for his whelps, and ""■ ''"""'° ^" strangled for his lionesses, and filled his holes with prey, and his dens with ravin.

13 ^ Behold, I am against thee, saith the Lord of hosts, and I will burn her chariots in the smoke, and the sword shall devour thy young lions: and I will cut off thy prey from the earth, and the voice of '' thy messengers shall no more be heard.

Verse 1 1. Where is the dwelling of the lions] Nineveh, the habitation of bold, strong, and ferocious men.

The feeding place of the young lions] Wliither her victorious and rapacious generals frequently returned to consume the produce of their success. Here they walked at large, and none made them afraid, ^^^^eresoever they turned their arras they were victors; and all nations were afraid of them.

Verse 12. The lion did tear] This verse gives us a striking picture of the manner in which the Assyrian conquests and depredations were carried on. How many people were spoiled to enrich his whelps — his sons, princes, and nobles! How many women were stripped and slain, whose spoils went to decorate his lionesses — his queen concubines and mistresses. And they had even more than they could consume; their holes and dens — treasure-houses, palaces, and wardrobes— were filled ivith ravin, the riches which they got by the plunder of towns, families, and individuals. This is a very fine allegory, and admirably well supported.

Verse 13. Behold, I am against thee] Assyria, and Nineveh its capital. I will deal with you as you have dealt with others.

The voice of thy messengers] Announcing thy splendid victories, and the vast spoils taken — shall no more be heard — thou and thy riches, and ill-got spoils, shall perish together.

The prophet denounces a wo against Nineveh for her perfidy and violence. He musters up before our eyes the number of her chariots and cavalry; points to herburnished arms, and to the great and unrelenting slaughter which she spreads around her, 1-3. Because Nineveh is a city wholly given up to the grossest superstihon, and is an instructress of other nations in her abominable rites, therefore she shall come to a most ignominious and unpitied end, 3-7. Her final ruin shall be similar to that of No, a famous city of Egypt, 8-11. The prophet then beautifully describes the great ease with which the strong holds of Nineveh should be taken, 12, and her judicial pusillanimity during the siege, 13; declares that all her preparation, her numbers, opulence, and chieftains, icould be of no avail in the day of the Lord's vengeance, 14-17; and that her tributaries would desert her, 18. The ichole concludes with stating the incurableness of her malady, and the dreadful destruction consequently awaiting her; and loith introducing the nations which she had oppressed as exulting at her. fall, 19.

01.' cir. xVi. 4. it is all full of lies and

noise of the rattling of the wheels, and of the

prancing horses, and of the jumping chariots.

3 The horseman lifteth up both '' the bright sword and the glittering spear: and there is a multitude of slain, and a great number of carcasses; and there is none end of their corpses; they stumble upon their corpses:

4 Because of the multitude of the whoredoms of the well-favoured harlot, " the mistress of witchcrafts, that selleth nations through her whoredoms, and families through her witchcrafts.

5 ^ Behold, I am against thee, saith the Lord of hosts; and s I will discover thy skirts upon thy face, "^ and I will show the nations thy nakedness, and the kingdoms thy shame.

Verse 1. Wo to the hlooiy city!] Nineveh: the threatenings against which are continued in a strain of invective, astonishing for its richness, variety, and energy. One may hear and see the lohip crack, the horses prancing, the ivheels rumbling, the chariots bounding after the galloping steeds; the reflection from the drawn and highly polished swords; and the hurled spears, like flashes of lightning, dazzling the eyes; the slain lying in heaps, and horses and chariots stumbling over them! O what a picture, and a true representation of a battle, when one side is broken, and all the cavalry of the conqueror fall in upon them, heioing them down with their swords, and trampling them to pieces under the hoofs of their horses! O! infernal war! Yet sometimes thou art the scourge of the Lord.

Verse 4. Because of the multitude of the whoredom^^j Above, the Ninevites were represented under the emblem of a lion tearing all to pieces; here they are represented under the emblem of a beautiful harlot or public prostitute, enticing all men to her, inducing the nations to become idolatrous; and, by thus perverting them, rendering them also objects of the Divine wrath.

Mistress of witchcrafts, that selleth nations through her whoredoms] Using every means to excite to idolatry; and being, hy menace or wiles, successful in all.

Verse 5. / will discover thy skirts upon thy face] It was an ancient, though not a laudable custom, to strip prostitutes naked, or throw their clothes over their lieads, and expose them to public view, and public execration. This veise alludes to such a custom.

filth upon thee, and ' make thee oi. cir. xvi.

7 And it shall come to pass, that all they that look upon thee ' shall flee from thee, and say, Nineveh is laid waste: " who will be moan her? whence shall I seek comforters for thee?

8 " Art thou better than " populous p i No, that was situate among the rivers, that had the waters round about it, whose rampart was the sea, and her wall luas from the sea?

9 Ethiopia and Egypt loere her strength, and it was infinite; Put and Lubim were ' thy helpers.

10 Yet luas she carried away, she went into captivity: ^ her young children also were dashed in pieces ' at the top of all the streets: and they " cast lots for her honourable men, and all

Verse 6. I icill cast abominable filth upon thee] I will set thee as a gazing-stock. This was a punishment precisely like our pillory. They put such women in the pillory as 3i gazing-stock; and then, children and others threw mud, dirt, a.ni filth of all kinds at them.

Verse 7. Who icill bemoan her?] In such cases, who pities the delinquent? She has been the occasion of ruin to multitudes, and now she is deservedly exposed and punished. And so it should be thought concerning Nineveh.

Verse 8. Art thou better than populous No] No- Ammon, or Diospolis, in the Delta, on one branch of the Nile. This is supposed to be the city mentioned by Nahum; and which had been lately destroyed, probably by the Chaldeans.

The tcaters round about it] Being situated in the Delta, it had the fork of two branches of the Nile to defend it by land; and its barrier or ivall was the sea, the Mediterranean, into which these branches emptied themselves: so that this city, and the place it stood on, were wholly surrounded by the waters.

Verse 9. Ethiopia and Egypt were her strength] The land of Cush, not far from Diospolis; for it was in Arabia, on the Red Sea.

Put and Lubim] A part of Africa and Libya, which were all within reach of forming alliances with No- Ammon or Diospolis.

Verse 1 0. They cast lots for her honourable men] This refers still to the city called populous No. And the custom of casting lots among tlie commanders, for the prisoners which they had taken, is here referred to.

The siege of Nineveh, and

A. M. cir. 3291. j^g^ great men were bound in also shalt seek strength because of the

1 2 All thy strong holds shall be like " fig trees with the first-ripe figs: if they be shaken, they shall even fall into the mouth of the eater.

13 Behold, ^ thy people in the midst of thee are women: the gates of thy land shall be set wide open unto thine enemies: the fire shall devour thy ^ bars.

14 Draw thee waters for the siege, ^ fortify thy strong holds: go into clay, and tread the mortar, make strong the brick-kiln.

1 5 There shall the fire devour thee; the sword shall cut thee off, it shall eat thee up like ^ the cankerworm: make thyself many as

the cankerworm, make many as the locusts.

16 Ihou hast multiplied thy r. Roman., merchants above the stars of hea- "'■ '"""'" ^" ven: the cankerworm '' spoileth, and fleeth away.

17 "^ Thy crowned a7-e as the locusts, and thy captains as the great grasshoppers, which camp in the hedges in the cold day, but when the sun ariseth they flee away, and their place is not known where they are.

18 "^ Thy shepherds slumber, 0 ' king of Assyria: thy ^ nobles shall dwell in the dust: thy people is s scattered upon the mountains, and no man gathereth them.

19 There is no "^ healing of thy bruise; ' thy wound is grievous: '' all that hear the bruit of thee shall clap the hands over thee: for upon whom hath not thy wickedness passed continually?

Great men were bound in chains] These were reserved to grace the triumph of the victor.

Verse 19. Thy strong holds] The effects of the consternation into which the Ninevites were cast by the assault on their city are here pointed out by a very expressive metaphor; llie Jirst->-ipe Jigs, when dX full maturity, fell from the tree with the least shake; and so, at the first shake or consternation, all the fortresses of Nineveh were abandoned; and the king, in despair, burnt himself and household in his own palace.

Verse 13. Thy people — are women] They lost all courage, and made no resistance. O verfe Phrygian, neque enim Phryges: " Verily, ye are Phrygian women, not Phrygian men." So said Numanus to the Trojans. Virg., JEn. ix.

Verse 1 4. Draio thee waters for the siege] The Tigris ran near to Nineveh, and here they are exhorted to lay in plenty of fresh water, lest the siege should last long, and lest the enemy should cut off this supply. Go into clay, and tread the mortar] This refers to the manner of forming bricks anciently in those countries; they digged up the clay, kneaded it properly by treading, mixed it with straw or coarse grass, moulded the bricks, and dried them in the sun. I have now some of the identical bricks, that were brought from this country, lying before me, and they show all these appearances. They are compact and very hard, but wholly soluble in water. There were however others without straw, that seem to have been burnt in a kiln as ours are. I have also some fragments or bats of these from Babylon.

A'erse 15. Make thyself many as the cankerworm] On the locusts, and their operations in their various states, see the notes on Joel ii. The multitudes, successive swarms, and devastation occasioned by locusts, is one of the most expressive similes tliat could be used to point out the successive armies and all-destroying influences of the enemies of Nineveh. The account of these destroyers from Dr. Shaio, inserted Joel ii., will fully illustrate the verses where allusion is made to locusts.

Verse 16. Thou hast multiplied thy merchants] Like Tyre, this city was a famous resort for merchants; but the multitudes which were there previously to the siege, like the locusts, took the alarm, and fled

Verse 17. Thy crowned are as the locusts] Thou hast numerous princes and numerous commanders.

Which camp in the hedges in the cold day] The locusts are said to lie in shelter about the hedges of fertile spots when the weather is cold, or during the night; but as soon as the sun shines out and is hot, they come out to their forage, or take to their wings.

Verse 18. Thy shepherds slumber] That is, the rulers and tributary princes, who, as Herodotus informs us, deserted Nineveh in the day<of her distress, and came not forward to her succour.

Diodorus Siculus says, lib. ii., when the enemy shut up the king in the city, many nations revolted, each going over to the besiegers, for the sake of their liberty; that the king despatched messengers to all his subjects, requiring power from them to succour him; and that he thought himself able to endure the siege, and remained in expectation of armies which were to be raised throughout his empire, relying on the oracle that the city would not be taken till the river became its enemy. See the note on chap. ii. 6.

All that hear the bruit of thee] The report or account. Shall clap the hands] Shall exult in thy downfall.

For upon whom hath not thy wickedness passed]

Thou hast been a universal oppressor, and therefore all nations rejoice at thy fall and utter desolation.

Bp. Newton makes some good remarks on the fall and total ruin of Nineveh.

" What probability was there that the capital city of a great kingdom, a city which was siittj miles in compass, a city which contained so many thousand inhabitants, a city which had walls a hundred feet high, and so thick that three chariots could go abreast upon them, and which had one thousand Jive hundred towers, of tu^o hundred feet in height; what probability was there that such a city should ever be totally destroyed? And yet so totally was it destroyed that the place is hardly known where it was situated. What we may suppose helped to complete its ruin and devastation, was Nebuchadnezzar's enlarging and beautifying Babylon, soon after Nineveh was taken. From that time no mention is made of Nineveh by any of the sacred writers; and the most ancient of the heathen authors, who have occasion to say any thing about it, speak of it as a city that was once great and flourishing, but now destroyed and desolate. Great as it was formerly, so little of it is remaining, that authors are not agreed even about its situation. From the general suffrage of ancient liistorians and geographers, it appears to have been situated upon the Tigris, though others represent it as placed upon the Euphrates. Bochart has shown that Herodotus, Diodorus Siculus, and Ammianus Marcellinus, all three speak differently of it; sometimes as if situated on the Euphrates, sometimes as if on the Tigris; to reconcile whom he supposes that there were two Ninevehs; and Sir John Marsham, that there were three; the Syrian upon the Euphrates, the Assyrian on the Tigris, and a third built afterwards upon the Tigris by the Persians, who succeeded the Parthians in the empire of the East, in the third century, and were subdued by the Saracens in the seventh century after Christ. But whether this latter was built in the same place as the old Nineveh, is a question that cannot be decided.

" There is a city at this time called Mosul, situate upon the western side of the Tigris; and on the opposite eastern shore are ruins of great extent, which are said to be those of Nineveh.

" Dr. Prideaux, following Thevenot, observes that Mosul is situated on the west side of the Tigris, where was anciently only a suburb of the old Nineveh; for the city itself stood on the east side of the river, where are to be seen some of its ruins of great extent even to this day. Even the ruins of old Nineveh, as we may say,' have been long ago ruined and destroyed; such an utter end hath been made of it, and such is the truth of the Divine predictions!

" These extraordinary circumstances may strike the reader more strongly by supposing only a parallel instance. Let us then suppose that a person should come in the name of a prophet, preaching repentance to the people of this kingdom, or otherwise denouncing the destruction of the capital city within a few years. 'With an overflowing flood will God make an utter end of the place thereof; he will make an utter end: its place may be sought, but it shall never be found.' I presume we should look upon such a prophet as a madman, and show no farther attention to his message than to deride and despise it. And yet such an event would not be more strange and incredible than the destruction and devastation of Nmeveh; for Nineveh was much the larger, stronger, and older city of the two. And the Assyrian empire had subsisted and flourished more ages than any form of government in this country; so there is no objecting the instability of Eastern monarchies in this case. Let us then, since this event would not be more improbable and extraordinary than the other, suppose again, that things should succeed according to the prediction; that the floods should arise, and the enemies should come; the city should be overthrown and broken down, be taken and pillaged, and destroyed so totally that even the learned could not agree about the place where it was situated. What would be said or thought in such a case? Whoever of posterity should read and compare the prophecy and event together, must they not, by such an illustrious instance, be thoroughly convinced of the providence of God, and of the truth of his prophet, and be ready to acknowledge, ' Verily, this is the word which the Lord hath spoken; verily, there is a God who judgeth the earth V " — See Bp. Newton vol. i., dissert. 9.

Chronological Notes relative to this Book, upon the supposition that it was written a little before the destruction of Jerusalem, about six hundred years before the commencement of the Christian era.

Year from the Creation, according to Archbishop Usher, 3404. — Year of the Julian Period, 4114.— Year since the Flood, 1748. — Year since the vocation of Abram, 1321. — Year from the foundation of Solomon's temple, 412. ■ — Year since the division of Solomon's monarchy into the kingdoms of Israel and Judah, 376. — First year of the forty-fifth Olympiad.— Year since the destruction of the kingdom of Israel by Shalmaneser, king of Assyria, 121. — Year before the birth of Jesus Christ, 596. — Year before the vulgar era of Christ's nativity, 600. — Cycle of the Sun, 26. — Cycle of the Moon, 10.- — Third year of.(Eropas, king of Macedon. — Twentieth year of Alyattes II., king of Lydia. — Twenty-si.Kth)'ear of Cyaxares or Cyaraxes, king of Media. — Si.xth year of Agasicles, king of Lacedasmon, of the family of the Proclida;. — Eighth year of Leon, king of Lacedajmon, of the fanidy of the Eurysthenidas. — Seventh year of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. — Seventeenth year of Tarquinius Prisons, king of the Romans. — Eleventh year of Jehoiakim, king of Judah.

The prophet enters very abruptly on his subject, his spirit being greatly indignant at the rapid progress of vice and impiety, 1—4. Upon which God is introduced threatening very awful and sudden judgments to be inflicted by the ministry of the Chaldeans, 5-10. The Babylonians attribute their tvonderful successes to their idols, 11. The prophet then, making a sudden traiisition, expostulates with God (probably personating the Jews) for permitting a nation much more iciched than themselves, as they supposed, to oppress and devour them, as fishers and fowlers do their prey, 12-17.

npHE =' burden which Habalikuk the prophet did see. 2 0 Lord, how long shall I cry, t" and thou wilt not hear!

We know little of this prophet; for what we find in the ancients concerning him is evidently fabulous, as well as that which appears in the Apocrypha. He was probably of the tribe of Simeon, and a native of Bethzacar. It is very likely that he lived after the destruction of Nineveh, as he speaks of the Chaldeans, but makes no mention of the Assyrians. And he appears also to have prophesied before the Jewish captivity, see chap. i. 5; ii. 1; iii. 2, 16-19; and therefore Abp. Newcome thinks he may be placed in the reign of Jehoiakim, between the years 606 B. C. and 598 13. C.

As a poet, Habakkuk holds a high rank among the

Hebrew prophets. The beautiful connection between the parts of his prophecy, its diction, imagery, spirit, and sublimity, cannot be too much admired; and his

3 Why dost thou show me r. Roman., ' iniquity, and cause me to behold "'*'■ ^"""^ "•

hymn, chap, iii., is allowed by the best judges to be a masterpiece of its kind. See Lowth's Pra;lect. xxi., xxviii.